Celebrating the story of the life and work of a typeface designer through designs in varied mediums.

In this multimedia project, I explored Zuzana Licko’s contributions as an influential pioneer in the world of digital fonts. I was struck by her multi-faceted approach to her typography, balancing expressive experimentation with practical functionality, rather than settling on one or the other. I also appreciated her attitude towards (at the time) unconventional and emerging technologies – she freely tried digital type creation, a medium others saw as a frivolous novelty that couldn’t produce serious work. Inspired by her philosophy and body of work, I created a system that would showcase her design process and the evolution of her typography. 

Synthesizing multiple quotes from interviews with Zuzana Licko, this one minute animated video covers Licko’s beginnings with bitmap technology and how technological changes at the time were the impetus behind her work. Paralleling this technological evolution, the visuals convey the evolution of Licko’s design skills and her growth as a type designer.

This booklet is a more in-depth explanation of Licko’s work, covering different eras of her design work. Through highlighting specific examples, the booklet also offers its readers a look into how Licko designs her typefaces.

Like the booklet, this app shows the different eras of Licko’s typefaces, but in a more condensed format that includes interactive elements. There’s also a catalogue of every typeface Zuzana Licko has designed, with descriptions that are revealed when each typeface is clicked.